1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the process of detecting herbicides that inhibit acetolactate synthase (EC 4.1.3.18) by use of acetolactate synthase and an oxygen-sensitive electrode.
2. Summary of the Background
The herbicidal activity of a number of commercial herbicides is known to be due to their inhibition of the enzyme acetolactate synthase (Schloss, et al., Nature 331:360 (1988)). There is a need by the companies that sell these herbicides and the people that use them to be able to detect the presence of residual herbicides in areas of their usage. The present invention discloses a process for detecting these herbicides by their ability to inhibit the consumption of oxygen by pyruvate, .alpha.-acetolactate, .alpha.-ketobutyrate, or .alpha.-aceto-.alpha.-hydroxybutyrate in the presence of acetolactate synthase (Schloss et al., Biochemistry 24:4952 (1985).